When are UK strikes 2024? All the dates you need to know

Junior doctors have staged a series of strikes over the past year (PA Wire)
Junior doctors have staged a series of strikes over the past year (PA Wire)

More train strikes are set to hit passengers in the coming months as disputes between trade unions and train companies rumble on.

Rail workers for London Northeastern Railway (LNER) services are set to take action to protest against poor pay and working conditions.

Services between London and Edinburgh - via Newcastle, York and Durham - will be hit with 22 days of strikes starting imminently, trade bosses have confirmed.

It is the latest sector to protest via a work halt, after junior doctors and airport staff at Heathrow stood their ground in July, with airport workers set for more walk-out dates soon.

Here are the strike dates and details.

Junior doctors are to stage a strike at the same time general election campaigning is underway (PA Wire)
Junior doctors are to stage a strike at the same time general election campaigning is underway (PA Wire)

When are the next train strike dates?

Strikes on LNER services will take place every Saturday from August 31 to November 9, and every Sunday from September 1 to November 10. There will be a total of 22 strike days spread over three months.

The last ASLEF train strike took place in May.

What train lines will be affected?

Only LNER services will be impacted by the upcoming strikes. LNER runs on the east coast of the UK, between Edinburgh and London King’s Cross, calling at stations including York, Durham and Newcastle.

Are there any more nationwide train strikes imminent?

Following the last bout of ASLEF strikes in May – which saw train drivers at 16 operators across the UK walk out over three days between May 7 and 9 – no further action has been called for British train services.

ASLEF and the Department for Transport have reportedly struck a deal for backdated pay rises, meaning the dispute could soon be formally resolved.

Under the terms of the new deal, ASLEF drivers are set to receive a backdated 5 per cent pay increase for 2022/23, a 4.75 per cent rise for 2023/24, and a 4.5 per cent increase for 2024/25.

Who else has gone on strike this year?

Junior doctors

Junior doctors went on strike the week before the general election after mediated talks with the Government collapsed. They walked out from 7am on June 27 until 7am on July 2 in the long-running dispute over pay between doctors in training and the Government.

The co-chairmen of the BMA junior doctors committee, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said at the time: “We made clear to the Government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer.”

The action saw 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments rescheduled, and 23,001 staff were absent from work due to strikes at the peak of the action in England, according to data from the NHS.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “These figures bring into sharp focus the impact that this latest round of industrial action has had on patients, with nearly 62,000 appointments postponed in recent days – but we know in reality this is likely to be even higher.”

Once Labour were in power, talks resumed and the Government put forward an offer which would invest an average of a further 4.05 per cent into 2023-24 pay scales for junior doctors. This means that the 2023-24 pay scales are on average 13.2 per cent higher than in 2022-23 – an improvement of 4.4 percentage points from the current 2023 – 24 pay scales.

The referendum is now open from August 19 until September 15 for doctors to vote on whether to accept the deal.

UK Border Force in action (PA Archive)
UK Border Force in action (PA Archive)

GPs

GP partners/contractors in England have voted overwhelmingly for collective action, which the BMA are urging practices to start immediately. The action began on August 1 and is ongoing.

The BMA said: “We have had several meetings with the new Secretary of State, and shared our vision for the future of general practice. We remain open to continuing discussions, to ensure GPs secure the contract that patients and staff deserve.”

Full details of the strike details can be seen here.

Heathrow Airport

More than 500 PCS (Public and Commercial Services) union members walked off the job on Friday, May 31, Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2 in a dispute over roster changes. Workers also refused to work overtime for three weeks from June 4.

Further strike dates have also been announced, with the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union saying that 650 of its members will be joining the industrial action through August and September.

Border Force officers at Heathrow airport will strike from August 31 until September 3. After the main strike days, there will be a ban on overtime, which will continue until September 22. Work-to-rule, where the minimum required work is done, will also apply during this overtime ban period.

The PCS members are taking action due to a new work roster that was imposed at the airport in April. The union said that since the roster was introduced, “around 160 staff have left because of the lack of flexibility and changes to the shifts”.